Organised Crime Squad charge additional three allegedly part of South American syndicate selling fake cocaine in Sydney

Monday, 16 June 2025 04:22:41 PM

Organised Crime Squad detectives have charged an additional three people allegedly involved in a South American criminal syndicate selling fake cocaine to other criminal syndicates across Sydney.

Strike Force Bookara was established by State Crime Command’s Organised Crime Squad to investigate a criminal syndicate hailing from South America allegedly supplying large commercial quantities of cocaine in NSW.

It will be alleged the syndicate travelled from Spain to Sydney in May 2025 with the intention of selling 95kg of cocaine.

About 8.15pm on Wednesday 11 June 2025, strike force detectives executed a search warrant at a unit in North Rocks.

During a search of the unit, police located 10 bricks of a substance believed to be cocaine, $121,000 AUD, foreign currency, 14 mobile phones, numerous SIM cards, multiple bank cards, and documentation relating to foreign money and crypto transfers.

Further testing of the substance confirmed it was not cocaine; however, police will allege the syndicate was selling it to other criminal groups for $90,000 per kilogram.

Police will allege that since May, the syndicate sold fake cocaine to four different networks across Sydney.

They will further allege that earlier in the year, the group were carrying out the same fraudulent activities in London.

Five people were arrested and taken to Parramatta Police Station, where two men – aged 61 and 27 – were charged and remain before the courts.

Following further inquiries, a 27-year-old man was issued a Future Court Attendance Notice (FCAN), charged with found on/entering/leaving drug premises and knowingly deal with proceeds of crime.

Two others, a 62-year-old man and 32-year-old woman, were issued FCANs, charged with found on/entering/leaving drug premises.

All three were due to appear in Parramatta Local Court today (Monday 16 June 2025).

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